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Two hailed for Paralympic Games effort

Patrick Caruana

Games debutants Jessica Gallagher and Mitch Gourley have been hailed as future leaders of Australia's Paralympic team after an improved medal count in Vancouver.

Australia ended the Vancouver Games campaign on Sunday with a tally of one silver medal and three bronze - up from the one silver, one bronze in Torino four years ago.

Historical comparisons beyond that point are difficult as the category system changed before Torino, reducing the number of alpine skiing medals available by around two thirds.

Double below knee amputee Marty Mayberry produced the country's best result with a silver in the standing downhill.

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Veteran Cameron Rahles-Rabula got to celebrate his two bronze medals by carrying the Australian flag at Sunday's closing ceremony.

And vision impaired skier Gallagher, 24, looms as a team spearhead for years to come after becoming the first Australian woman to win a Paralympic medal with her bronze in the slalom.

Team head coach Steve Graham said the fact Australia had won four medals, amid the weather-enforced competition delays and rescheduling, was impressive.

"I think the medals that we won were very good medals to win and very difficult medals to win," said Graham.

"Overall we doubled (Turin), which was good.

"You can always say we could've won more medals ... but I think it was a good performance throughout the week."

Graham was disappointed for opening ceremony flag bearer Toby Kane, who had a Paralympics to forget, failing to finish two events and coming 11th, 10th and 10th in his other three.

"He would've loved to have led from the front," he said.

"It's heartbreaking to see what talent he's got and he wasn't able to put it together."

Australia faces a transitional period before the next Games in Sochi, Russia in 2014, with Rahles-Rahbula, Mayberry, alpine skiers Nick Watts and Shannon Gourley and cross country skier James Millar all considering their futures,and Dominic Monypenny retiring.

But Graham said he would do his best to keep as many athletes as possible in the team.

"I'd like to have three quarters of them go to Sochi," he said.

"Planning for Sochi is looking at how we manage those athletes to keep them in the sport."

He said Gallagher and fellow debutant Gourley, who landed a top-10 finish in the super-G, were looking like team leaders for Sochi.

"He (Mitch) potentially is a superstar of the sport," Graham said.

"With more time on snow, in slalom and giant slalom in particular, I think (Jess) can be nearly unstoppable within a couple of years."

Graham said he had no problem with Gallagher's goal of competing at the summer Paralympics in London in 2012, saying she could still be one of the world's best visually impaired skiers.

"There's plenty of time for them to do other sports," he said.

"I think she can do both, and we're happy to support her in whatever way possible."